Caught by the Tides is a breathtaking experimental feature and a testament to why Jia Zhangke is one of China’s finest living filmmakers.
As a film festival programmer, I have seen hundreds of attempts at independent “COVID films” over the past five years. I can count on one hand the ones that have managed to genuinely surprise me. I don’t say this to try and belittle those other films; I’ve been behind the camera enough times to know that the existence of every completed film is a miracle, especially the ones that are trying to make do with a limited cast, one or two locations, and the looming shadow of cosmic indifference. But I think it’s important to appreciate just how unique Jia Zhangke’s Caught by the Tides truly is.
Caught by the Tides was shot over the course of 22 years, albeit without the deliberate intent of something like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Rather, this film was never intended to be a film. The bulk of it is unused and reused footage from Zhangke’s films Unknown Pleasures, Still Life, and Ash Is Purest White alongside Zhangke’s own home video footage. Faced with the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, the filmmaker set out to assemble these disparate pieces into an entirely new feature film.
Narrative in the loosest sense only, and that’s just fine.
The focus of the film is Qiaoqiao (Zhao Tao). The largely silent protagonist struggles to build a career as a singer but faces several distractions, most notably her strained professional and romantic relationship with her manager Bin (Li Zhubin). But Caught by the Tides is more experimental than narrative, and the story ebbs and flows with the passage of time. Tao is a celebrated actor for a reason, and even across different performances, she does a fantastic job, which gives things a sense of reality even when the story is a lower priority. Zhubin isn’t quite as lucky, but by the time the film reaches its climax and the film’s few original scenes appear, he can demonstrate why he’s earned a spot on Zhangke’s roster.
A good part of the charm is just how unapologetically varied Zhangke’s approach to compilation is. Yes, Caught by the Tides works as a standalone film. But it lacks any of the polish one would have expected to have been added along the way. Aspect ratio and resolution differ wildly between scenes and shooting formats frequently switch back and forth between film and tape. Yet it all serves to give greater weight to seeing Zhangke’s collaborators age in real-time, and frankly, it’s a lot more interesting to watch than most “polished” fare. Likewise, the film’s varied sound quality slips into cacophony as often as it doesn’t but only serves the cement the impact of the silent climax.
The bottom line.
It’s far from perfect. It would be outlandish to assume such a project could be close. But it’s impossible to ignore the extent to which Caught by the Tides is a success, and subsequently just how remarkable of a creative accomplishment this is for Zhangke. That’s equally true for Tao’s performance(s), with the single film highlighting an entire career of excellence. This is one people will be talking about for a while.
Caught by the Tides is in theaters now. Watch the trailer here.
Images courtesy of Janus Films.
REVIEW RATING
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Caught by the Tides - 7/10
7/10
Brogan is a Salt Lake City-based writer and film festival programmer who has watched more Scooby-Doo than the majority of the human population. You can find him on social media at @roboteatsdino or at roboteatsdinosaur.com
